In a shocking incident, a 32-year-old pregnant woman in Telangana’s Asifabad district died due to the unavailability of doctors and the lack of ambulance services in the region.

According to reports, the woman, a resident of Sulugupally, went into labour on August 17 around 11.30 pm. Her husband immediately rushed her to the nearby Primary Health Care centre in Bejur in an auto. However, there were allegedly no doctors in the hospital at that time, and a nurse and hospital worker tried to deliver the child. However, Saritha developed complications and had a seizure during the process.

According to the New Indian Express, the staff then told her husband to take her to a bigger hospital in Sirpur T—  over 50 km away — at 2 am. However, when he reportedly contacted 108 emergency services, he was refused service due to the ongoing workers' strike.

The woman's husband later found a private vehicle and took her to a private hospital in Sirpur T. Things took a turn for the worse, as the hospital allegedly refused to admit her knowing the higher risk involved, Asifabad district Medical Health Officer Subbarayudu said.

They then decided to take her to a hospital in Mancherial, but the woman lost her life in the ambulance while on the way. Subbarayudu said that the woman had come to the PHC with bleeding. “She was in her fourth pregnancy. We can't blame the 108 ambulance workers entirely,” Subbarayudu said. Furthermore, responding to the allegation that there were no doctors, he said that the doctors would be available when called during emergencies.

In Telangana, the 108 workers have been on full strike since August 14. Their demands include pay revision, payment of pending salaries, withdrawing the public-private partnership model with GVK-EMRI and reducing the number of working hours.

As the workers were protesting, GVK sacked all the employees on August 14. However, on August 19, they asked them to join duty back by 8 pm unconditionally and said those who fail to report for duty would be terminated. "The full and final settlement of their dues including salaries, gratuity etc will be done on August 20 and cheques will be sent to their respective homes. This way, all ties with the workers who chose to remain on strike, will be severed,” said Dr Brahmananda Rao, GVK EMRI’s Chief Operating Officer said.

This story was originally published on The News Minute and is reprinted here with permission. It can be viewed on https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/woman-dies-during-childbirth-telangana-ambulance-strike-lack-doctors-blame-86885